Dyed Skunk loaches

[Emma Turner]

Just a warning to watch out for dyed Skunk loaches (Yasuhikotakia morleti) as they have appeared on suppliers lists this week. I hadn't noticed that this was a species that was coloured by this unneccessary cruel practice until now, more commonly seeing dyed Y. modesta on various lists. Suppliers are claiming these coloured Skunks are 10cm in length too.

Also, a better bit of news, Pangio shelfordii are about again, and may be labelled Calico loach or Calico kuhli loach.

Emma

[Doc]

I really despair of the people who do this.. If I ever, ever meet anyone who admits to doing this I'll dye them and see what they think. Cruel and totally unnecessary practice. They should be ashamed.

[bslindgren]

Why do people wish to buy fish that have been altered like this? It's unbelievable.

[starsplitter7]

Most people I met who have bought dyed fish, didn't know they were dyed. Even the employees frequently don't know the fish/frogs are dyed. Or they don't know it is painful and lethal. Ignorance all the way around.

[Dirk_H.]

In germany it's illegal to deal with such fishes or animals.

[janma]

In germany it's illegal to deal with such fishes or animals.

Same here in Finland.

[Graeme Robson]

Disgusting!!

Thanks for the alert Emma.

[Dirk_H.]

An aquaristic friend flyes often to south asia and told me, fishes (f.i. red parrots - also a bad story!) get tatoos there.
Other dyed fishes are: Corydoras or Ambassidae.

[chris1932]

Anyone notice where the most natural disasters have happened in the past few years. Mother nature striking back????

[Martin Thoene]

Anyone notice where the most natural disasters have happened in the past few years. Mother nature striking back????

I think that's more geography Chris. However, there are an awful lot of landslides these days that are almost certainly not helped by the extensive deforestation going on in many SE Asian countries. Lose the trees, lose the roots that stop everything moving downhill. The mother nature of gravity wins.

There have been campaigns going on for years to ban dyed fish. I think exclusively they have been western world based due to our sensibilities involving animal welfare. Tattooing just seems to be the latest technique.











The problem that's preventing any impact by westerners voting with their feet and not buying these fish is that we're outnumbered. That's my honest opinion anyway.

These fish originate from the epicentres of fish export in SE Asia mainly from Chinese or Chinese originated communities. If we look at this ancient civilization we see a pattern of messing with nature. Extreme fancy Goldfish and things like Pekinese dogs are accepted in the west because of their ancient lineage and acceptance is because they've seemingly always been there.

If westerners think they can stop the trade in dyed or tattooed fish by not buying them they will have little effect. This is due to the fact that so many countries have huge Chinese immigrant communities, a fairly large number of whom will actively seek out these fish.

I'm not coming down on all Chinese fish-keepers. I know there's a lot of very dedicated and serious people out there. Unfortunately, there's also a greater number of people who are not educated into just how wrong these practices are or plain don't care because "they're only fish". And that's an attitude of numerous western nation's people too. We've all seen them in every LFS we've ever visited.....the ones you just want to give a slap

I see the Chinese community thing at work here in Toronto and in certain parts of the Greater Toronto Area many businesses are Chinese owned and are directly importing dyed, tattoed and tankbuster fish to satisfy local demand.

There's then a competetive need for other non-Chinese owned fish emporiums to stock similar fish in order to attract that custom who may buy other fish or equipment.

The only way I see an end to this is government bans on imports of these fish. That requires policing and right now I can go and buy banned species in these very shops In all societies there are people who will flaunt the law, let alone public animal rights sensibilities.

Martin.